The Soul of the Broken
by Manar107
Summary: One-Shot: Liara tries to meld her mind with Shepard's in order to see the vision from the beacon. Shepard is afraid that Liara will get a glimpse of his inner demons.


For the first time in a long while, Shepard was afraid. This fear almost matched the one he experienced when Mindoir was attacked. But this situation was not as life threatening. So why was he afraid? Why was the idea of melding his mind with Liara so terrifying? The last time he tried, he panicked. He closed her off from everything in his mind. He was afraid; he was afraid of how she would look at him if she knew the kind of person he really was. She looked at him as though he was a hero, a leader. Even though Liara is 106 years old, she has a childlike innocence that Shepard did not want to stain with his sorrows. Only one person saw his inner demons, even created them. Even to his now ex-significant other, he built this wall that never let her pass. He never talked to anyone about Mindoir and his military service, he always outright refused. Shepard thought that the best way to keep him from breaking down was to hold everything back.

Yet at the same time, he yearned to share everything. He wanted someone to hold him as he relives his memory of his family's brutal death every single night. He wants to share all of the things he did during his military service, the times he vented his rage towards his enemies. He committed so many sins that he regret. Taking a life was never an easy task, but the times he went too far…

"Shepard?" He opened his eyes. Liara was waiting for his permission.

"So you can only see what I show you, not anything else?" He ran his hand through his hair, not used to its short length. "I'm sorry Liara, I'm just not comfortable with this. I just…I am not one to share."

"When melding, I will only be able to see what you show me. I won't go through any thoughts or memories that you do not wish to share." She stepped closer to him, she felt small and vulnerable compared to his height. "I know you don't like this, but I need to see your vision from the beacon so we can understand it more."

Shepard closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Ok, I'm ready. Let's do this."

She held his face to her hands, his beard was a foreign touch. She stared into his deep sea green eyes, mesmerized by how captivating they were. For a brief second, she took note of how close they stood, it caused her heart to pound against her chest. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, they went dark. Her eyes were like circles of oblivion.

"Embrace eternity," she whispered.

This time, the melding was more pleasant, warm and trusting. The feeling of someone in his head was not as intruding as when they attempted to do this before. He showed her the vision from the beacon. Slowly, his walls broke down. He let everything he bottled up out for her to see. He decided to be selfish and show her everything, and he did. Liara saw his most joyful moments and his darkest. She saw his most heroic actions and his worst. The lives he saved and the lives he took. She could never fathom what it was like to have everything that happened to him, happen to her. She couldn't even imagine that such horrors do take place. She heard of the tragedies of Mindoir and Akuze, but to actually see it and how it impacted Shepard's life and the things he did…

Liara left his consciousness. They were still standing there, his face in her hands, as they stared into each other's eyes. Shepard's thoughts raced through his mind. Is she afraid of him? Pity him? Does her innocence remain?

Liara wrapped her arms around his neck, and he held her in a tight embrace, and breathed easily, not releasing that he was holding his breath. He knew that he could trust her, even more that he trusted anyone else in his life.

Before, Liara thought that she was interested in him because of his vision and connection to the beacon. Or maybe because he was the first human she has every truly interacted with the most.

As of now, she knew that she loved him.

* * *

Author's Notes

Hello there! I hope you enjoyed my first piece of writing! I have never played ME1 (but I have watched videos and know the main plot) so you might not see a lot from it. This was an idea I had. My head cannon was that, romanced or not, Liara is in love with Shepard. I feel like this moment, when they first melded their minds together, is when she knew.

I would love to hear any constructive criticism or any requests that you have!


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